Has anyone noticed something different about the iTunes podcast store? When perusing the podcast section by category, I end up in a very unsexy list-like interface. Completely not cool. There’s no extra information on the podcasts, just the basic information (title, artist, genre, etc.).

It’s making it quite complicated to shop for new and exciting podcasts, that’s for certain.

Somebody at the local nutjob message board has been sending offensive private messages to the female users.

Remember the controversy surrounding Onslow County Commissioner Delma Collins’ 2006 failed campaign for Clerk of Superior Court?

The North Carolina State Board of Elections has released its findings regarding Commissioner Collins. In a letter dated November 5th, the Board noted that Collins accepted business contributions (in-kind contributions from Donald Keith Branch of Allstate Insurance and Michael Lazzara (Yes, the City Councilman)), paid cash for advertisement purchases, and submitted campaign finance reports late. All of which are violations of campaign finance regulations.

The letter also suggets that Collins submitted information that could not be corroborated:

You stated that the Onslow County Board of Elections instructed you to file a final report after the elections in the event that you exceeded the threshold. You also stated that Ed Brown, candidate for sheriff, received the same instructions. Neither Mr. Brown nor the Onslow County Board of Elections corroborated your statements.

The letter also directs Collins to re-open his campaign committee, pay a fee of $1,288.72, file an amended report to include all receipts and expenses, and providing a sworn statement describing the source of funds used to purchase advertising from the Jacksonville Daily News.

They’re well-earned, but not excessive, punishments.

I wonder, though, if the letter was signed November 5th, when the Jacksonville Daily News is going to get around to reporting the news?

Courtesy your local neighborhood Wikipedia:

• Twenty-one is a Fibonacci number, a Harshad number, a Motzkin number, a triangular number and an octagonal number, as well as a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 3 and 7.
• 21 is the fifth discrete bi-prime and the second in the (3.q) family. With 22 it forms the second discrete bi-prime pair. 21 has an aliquot sum of 11 though it is the second composite number found in the 11-aliquot tree with. 18 is the first such member as well having as 21 as its aliquot sum 21 is the first number to be the aliquot sum of three numbers 18,51,91
• 21 appears in the Padovan sequence, preceded by the terms 9, 12, 16 (it is the sum of the first two of these).
• The sum of divisors for the integers 1 through 5 is 21.
• 21 is a repdigit in base 4 (111).
• 21 is the smallest number of differently sized squares needed to square the square.

My letter was printed in today’s Jacksonville Daily News. Unfortunately, their website hasn’t been updated, so I can’t provide linkage.

Unfortunately, it’s too late. The Jones County Board of Commissioners has voted to table a resolution to oppose the site located near the Jones-Onslow Border.

While the Onslow Board of Commissioners hold court with eyes and ears covered, the battle is raging against an OLF. Their absence, and lack of leadership, will allow the U.S. Navy to steamroll Jones County. With a population of less than 11,000 people and a median income just barely above the poverty line, who will stand up for those people?

Certainly not Congressman Walter B. Jones, Jr. Certainly not Senators Elizabeth Dole or Richard Burr. And most certainly not the Onslow County Board of Commissioners.

Even a 6-year old boy has done more than the Onslow County Board of Commissioners to fight the U.S. Navy’s plan. Joseph Dickerson wrote a letter to the Elizabeth City Daily Advance.

My name is Joseph Cole Dickerson, and I am 6 years old. I like all the animals and stuff here. I don’t want the Navy outlying landing field. The animals will not like an OLF. Some of my teachers would have to move. I would not like that. I hope people will help keep it from coming.

The Onslow County Board of Commissioners could take a lesson from young Mr. Dickerson. Unfortunately, and pathetically, they won’t.

There is some grumbling on the local nutjob message board about healthcare in Jacksonville. The writer specifically had bad things to say about Med Care facility on Hwy 17/Marine Blvd.

Says joaniecol:

What I want to know is how when a patient, who is already not feeling well, ask how long they anticipate a wait to be and be told about 45-1 hour wait - - - ask to pay for their copay up front - - only then to be stuck waiting for 2 hrs and 40 minutes before even being brought into a room. Then, another 40 minutes before a “doctor” comes in to see you - spends no more then 8 minutes with you - and then it takes another 20 minutes for “documentation” for discharge to be given.

Four hours is a really long time to be waiting for treatment…I’d guess that even the Onslow Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Room would be able to provide services in that period.

Unfortunately, Jacksonville does not have very many (if any) good general practitioner doctors. The problem is that very few private practice doctors can accept Tricare (the payer for military dependents) and stay in business. This creates a vacuum for the franchise medical offices, such as Med Care to swoop in and prey on the citizens.

It’s a sad state of affairs, but as long as there are free-market fundamentalists (such as the John Locke Foundation and the Club for Growth) out there, it’s the way it’ll be.

It’s a shame and a sham that will continue until the U.S. moves to a single-payer health-care system.

Did you realize I’ve pass 2,500 posts on this blog? Me either. Holy crap. It’s no wonder I’m running out of material…

Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!

The below post has been edited slightly and sent to Jacksonville’s Daily News, Swansboro’s Tideland News, Morehead City’s Carteret News-Times, Greenville’s Daily Reflector, Elizabeth City’s Daily Advance, Kinston’s Free Press, Havelock’s News, Nags Head’s OuterBanks Sentinel, New Bern’s Sun Journal, Washington’s Daily News, Topsail’s Free Voice, Goldsboro’s News-Argus, and Wilmington’s Star-News.

Remember when I emailed the Onslow County Board of Commissioners regarding my concerns about the proposed OLF sites nearest to Onslow County?

It’s been a month-and-a-half and still no response.

Yesterday, NC’s Governor, Mike Easley, said this:

“They see an OLF as almost all burden and no benefit. That is why I am urging our congressional delegation to ask the Navy to take these views into account and develop alternative proposals.”

The “they” in Easley’s comments are the communities in Eastern North Carolina where the Navy had originally planned to build their outlying landing field.

The Governor wants the Navy should find other locations for the OLF. This position puts him at odds with our Senators, Elizabeth Dole (R) and Richard Burr (R) who feel the sites identified are adequate and that the Navy can choose from that list.

Why is any of this important? How does the Onslow County Board of Commissioners’ lack of effort matter?

There has been great resistance against the Navy to build an OLF in northeastern North Carolina, but there has been little of that resistance regarding the southeastern sites. The Navy will get their unnecessary outlying landing field. It will be built and it will destroy acres of games lands, research forests, and wetlands. It will cause a small temporary economic boost, but will cause long-term economic decline as the field will be used for a decade, then abandoned. The use will be temporary, but the loss will be permanent.

The Onslow County Board of Commissioners are standing idly by and missing out on the opportunity to be leaders in Eastern NC. Because of that lack of leadership by Onslow’s Commissioners, the Navy will get what they want and the wishes of the citizens will be ignored.

After a conversation with with J.B. Thomas (Editorial Assistant at the Jacksonville Daily News), I’ve been freed from the blacklist.

The explanations for why none of my letters were printed are varied…Here’s the quick list:

• Regarding my letter on Marshall Adame, his campaign for North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District, and the Jacksonville Daily News’ lack of coverage (which could be called “intentional oversight”, so I did), Mr. Thomas said that he had spoken with Marshall several times the week prior and that there was no mention of a congressional campaign. To that I say: Very well. Maybe Marshall didn’t mention it and, if not, shame on him. However, that doesn’t reduce the Jacksonville Daily News responsibility to investigate. My letter declared that the newspaper was ignoring the campaign. I based that on the lack of reporting, even after emails to the Managing Editor, Cyndi Brown, and reporter, Antonio Velarde. (I received no response from either.) If there was doubt to the validity of my claims, they could easily be cleared up with a telephone call to myself or Marshall or even a frickin’ Google search.
• Regarding my letter to Senator Dole and our one year anniversary, Mr. Thomas said that it was not the editorial policy to print letters as a third party. That’s a valid policy, one that I support, even. It would be helpful, though, if that policy was available online (right along with the events policy). Most papers, I’ve come to learn, call the writers of letters such as mine to discuss re-writing and resubmission. I received no such call.
• Regarding my letter on NC House (4th District) Representative George Cleveland’s bad vote against fire-safe cigarettes, Mr. Thomas said it was simply oversight on his part and that he did intend to contact me, but that perhaps the telephone number on the facsimile print out cut off the end of my telephone number. Interesting development, as I don’t recall ever faxing a letter to them. All is well, though, as Mr. Thomas said they will be printing it shortly, as it is still relevant.

Today, they printed this letter.

So, bully for me: It’s a red letter day!

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(Sorry, Simon and Garfunkel, but it’s apropos.)

Onslow County’s (sometime) Commissioner and full-time Republican candidate for Congress, Joe McLaughlin, skipped last night’s meeting of the County Board of Commissioners. (I’ll use this opportunity to remind everyone that he also skipped the special meeting that dealt with allowing a referendum on giving the Board of Commissioners options for levying an additional or sales tax and that he used his comment period to make a speech aimed at furthering his campaign for higher office at the September 4th meeting.)

Mr. McLaughlin, if you aren’t capable of maintaining your obligation to the citizens of Onslow County, you should resign your position as County Commissioner and let someone who will make Onslow County their first priority take the post.

If any of you read this blog and the Jacksonville Daily News, you’ve probably noticed something: They don’t print my letters to the editor. I knew this and figured that my criticism would result in it.

I didn’t know that they would refuse to print my submissions to the Area Happenings section.

Apparently, I should’ve. Last Friday I delivered the following:

Please add to the Area Happenings section for Monday (Sep 3), Tuesday (Sep 4), Wednesday (Sep 5), Thursday (Sep 6), Friday (Sep 7) and Saturday (Sep editions.

Contact Thomas Brock at (910) 546-0769 for questions or additional information.

Support the troops at the USO on September 8^th from 10am to 2pm by making rack packs to send to deployed Marines and Sailors. Meet with Democratic Candidate for Congress, Marshall Adame and have a free lunch and get a free T-shirt. This event is sponsored by Young Democrats of NC with Young Democrats of Onslow County. Visit www.ydnc.org or call Thomas Brock at (910) 546-0769 for more information.

The announcement hasn’t been in the section for Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Any bets for Thursday?

Who knew they’d be so petty?

On Friday, August 24th, the Governor signed into law the Fire-Safe Cigarette Act/Fire‑Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act or House Bill 1785.

Just out of curiosity, I looked at the House Vote records for the bill. Onslow’s representative, George Cleveland, voted against the bill in the House a total of three times (twice for the readings in the House and once for concurrence of the Senate changes).

This law requires cigarette manufacturers to test, certify, and label cigarettes as “in compliance” with the statute. The performance measure is that “no more than twenty‑five percent (25%) of the cigarettes tested in a test trial in accordance with this section shall exhibit full‑length burns”.

Cigarettes are the leading cause of home fires and deaths. This legislation will reduce the number of these deaths. Our Representative George Cleveland doesn’t believe that’s something worth standing up for.

It’s time to send a new Representative from Onslow County to Raleigh. It’s time to send someone that’s going to act in the best interests of the constituents.

Edited: Changed subject from “Why doesn’t George Cleveland Want to Protect the Citizens of Onslow County?” to “Letter to the Editor: Why doesn’t George Cleveland Want to Protect the Citizens of Onslow County?”.

Dear Senator Dole,

It’s been a year since I delivered to your Greenville office assistant, Janet Bradbury, a list of questions. When she accepted my list, Ms. Bradbury promised that I would be sent answers.

It’s been exactly one year and I have not yet received those answers.

I realize that you were leading the Senate Republicans in election and re-election bids during one of the worst campaigning environments in recent history and I understand how you must have been terribly busy traveling throughout the United States. I also understand that the tremendous failure of your efforts, resulting in the loss of a Republican majority in the Senate and huge debt to the NRSC, must weigh heavily on your shoulders.

I admit that I am concerned about the lack of time you have to respond to constituent questions. If you haven’t answered mine, I wonder how many other letters and telephone calls haven’t been answered? How many other concerned constituents have been ignored?

How many others have been given the head-bob and then shuffled into an out-box?

Sincerely yours,

Thomas S. Brock

Dear Editor,

The Jacksonville Daily News has published several articles detailing Onslow County Commissioner Joe McLaughlin’s (R) attempt to challenge Congressman Walter B. Jones, Jr. (R) but has devoted no column space for the Third District’s most viable candidate: Marshall Adame.

Marshall Adame (D) is a retired Marine. He’s served in Vietnam and in Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. He retired shortly after and began working on the reconstruction of Kuwait. He’s worked as a Department of Defense contractor and as a U.S. diplomat in Iraq. He was there for 3 years. Two of his children, Benjamin and William serve in the U.S. Army. Both have been to Iraq, Benjamin is currently serving his second tour and William was wounded.

Very few among us have the first-hand knowledge and experience that Marshall Adame has in the situation in Iraq. Jones, Jr. and McLaughlin certainly don’t; yet the Jacksonville Daily News has devoted far more print space to their squabbling, than to the more capable candidate.

Adame has spoken in several counties (including Onslow), has been the subject of several newspaper articles, and has been featured on a local television news-cast; yet, the Jacksonville Daily News has ignored his candidacy.

Even after Adame’s campaign sent several media releases and emails to writers on the Jacksonville Daily News’ staff, his candidacy remains ignored.

Most shocking, however, is that the Jacksonville Daily News has published several letters from Adame regarding Congressman Jones, Jr.’s inefficiency and Commissioner McLaughlin’s potential dangerousness as elected representatives. Still, though, his candidacy remains ignored.

It’s certainly a shame that Adame’s hometown paper can’t find the space to write about the next Congressman from North Carolina’s Third District.

Feel free to send your own letter to the Jacksonville Daily News asking why they’ve ignored Marshall’s campaign for Congress. The address is: Editor, Jacksonville Daily News, PO Box 196, Jacksonville, NC 28546.

Use my letter as a template or write your own. You can also post your letter as a comment here.

There are two punches levied against George Cleveland (R-NC House 14th District) for his blatantly racist legislation that would tax money transfers from illegal immigrants.

Read more after the jump.

Update at the bottom of the full post.

Read The Full Story…